Slicker tool



J. H. CON NOR SLI'GKER TooL May 24, 19.38.

Filed Sept. 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllllllllllllllllllllllll IL Patented May 24, 1938 SLICKER TOOL John H. Connor, Newton, Mass., assigner to The Tanning Process Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 8 Claims.

vThis invention relates to tools for treating hides, skins and leather, and is illustrated as embodied in a slicker for putting-out operations upon hides and skins and the simultaneous removal of liquid material therefrom.

Hand slickers have been used by many generations of tanners in manually performing puttingout operations upon hides and skins while the latter rested upon a supporting surface. Such a hand slicker commonly comprises a Wooden bar, which serves as a handle, and a blade set into a groove in the bar. Upon moving such a tool over the surface of a wet hide or skin with the operative edge of the blade performing a scraping operation under considerable pressure upon the hide or skin, watery material is expressed from the work piece and the latter is also spread out and stretched out to a considerable extent depending on the pressure employed. While much of the watery 4material expressed from the Work piece is carried along with the bladed tool to and beyond the 4margins of the hide or skin being treated, ateach trip of the tool from a point inside the. periphery of the work piece to and beyond the margins thereof, a very considerable amount of the liquid expressed by the tool escapes around each end thereof during each stroke of the tool. Hence, there is rendered necessary a considerable overlapping of the paths made by the tool during its strokes over the work. `This adds a great deal to the labor and time involved in hand slicking operations. Furthermore it has been necessary heretofore to provide a trough around the Work support toA receive and carry oii the watery material expressed from the skins during the putting-out operation, thus making it more diiicult for the operator to reach the central portions of the hide or skin being treated.

Commonly, in putting-out operations with the hand slicker, the skin is put out upon a fiat, portable Work support; or board. In certain cases, and according to methods heretofore practiced, the skin was dipped preliminarily in an adhesive solution or adhesive was placed upon the surface of the board before the skin was placed thereon, the purpose in either case being to have the skin adhere to the board during the drying operation which followed. In other cases no adhesive was used but the skin was tacked or secured to the board by other types of fastenings inserted in considerablenumbers around the marginal portions of the skin. Both of these methods heretofore commonly employed in securing the skin to the board were objectionable since both the ad- 5,`1935, serial No. 39,313

(ci. 14a- 13) hesive and the fastenings had to be subsequently removed. Furthermore, the operations were time consuming.

It is an object of this invention to provide for more eiilcient removal of the watery contents of the skins during putting-out operations. It is a further object of the invention to minimize the requirements necessary to maintain the skin on the drying board during drying operations. In general, it is an object of the invention to facilitate putting-out operations and to improve upon the results `attained from such operation upon hides and skins.

To these ends, and in accordance with an important feature of the invention, there is provided an improved slicker tool having associated therewith a pneumatic suction means for removing from the surface of the skin watery material expressed therefrom by the slicker tool, said suction means operating to remove the expressed liquid substantially as rapidly as it appears on the vsurface of the skin in advance of the slicker blade.` By this novel arrangement, removal of the expressed liquid is assured thus minimizing the necessary overlap of the paths of the tool on the work piece with consequent saving in both time and labor. Conveniently, the new tool comprises a single slicker blade in association with pneumatic suction means having nozzle portions upon or adjacent to the opposite faces of the slicker blade and so controlled that the suction means is operative only'on that face of the tool against which the water piles up during movement of the tool over the hide or skin in putting-out operations. In one embodiment of the invention, a wall of each nozzle is movable to maintain contact with the hide or skin, thus insuring a maximum suction eiect, while at the same time permitting variation in the inclination of the slicker blade with respect to the work, thus rendering the whole tool most adaptable to the requirements of the work being treated.

In another embodiment of the invention, there are provided two slicker blades substantially 'coextensive and with their operative edges in the same plane but spaced from each other to form the nozzle portion of a pneumatic suction device. This embodiment has the advantage of simplicity of construction.

It has been found that the provision of pneumatic means for removing the watery material substantially simultaneously with its expression from the hide or skin results inthe removal of an increased amount of the watery material from the hide or skin without any corresponding effort on the part of the operator. Furthermore, it is found that the skin adheres more firmly to the surface of the drying board as a result of puttingout operations with this improved tool and hence few, if any, fastenings need to be inserted to hold the skin upon the drying board during drying operations.

These and other important features of the invention and novel combinations of parts will now be described in detail in the specification and then pointed out more particularly in the a pended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is -a perspective view of aslicker tool embodying the invention;

Figl` 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. -3 is a sectional perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of still another -embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the tool shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, which include a slicker tool designed particularly for performing putting-out operations upon hides and` skins, there isprovided suction means of any well-known type, such as an air pump (not shown) from which leads a flexible tube. An intermediate portion of the tube is supported at a point considerably above and in front of the operator as he stands at a table or other support for the pieces of work undergoingtreatment by a tool which puts out hides and skins and removes watery material therefrom. As shown in Fig. 3, the said tool comprises a slicker blade 6 having an operative edge portion 8 with slightlyrounded edges at III which selectively contact the surface of the work during putting-out operations thereon. Commonly, during putting-out operations, the upper end of the slicker tool is pointing away from the operator as the tool is being drawn over the work in movements toward the operator to express liquid ma.- terial from the hide or skin being treated. In other words the tool while in use is always at a substantial inclination to the surface of the hide or skin being treated. If the tool be moved away from the operator in a work treating operation,

the inclination of the tool is such that the upper portion of the tool is inclined toward the operator. In either case the watery material piles up in front of that surface of the blade facing its direction of movement. Commonly, quite a considerable amount of the liquid escapes around each end of the blade or slicker tool as heretofore constructed. Accordingly, means is provided in the illustrated construction for removing the watery material simultaneously with its expression from the hide or skin.

The means referred to in the foregoing paragraph comprises suction means including one or more nozzle members associated with the slicker blade 6. As illustrated in Fig. 3, there is a nozzle member I2 on each side of the'blade 6, each nozzle member I2 having a surface of the blade 6 as one of its walls. Since the outer wall of each nozzle is identical in construction it will be suilicient to describe one of them,although both walls are clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Each outer wall. in the illustrated construction comprises a memberl I4 rigidly connected to a back piece I6 to which the blade 6 is also rigidly connected.4 Slidably mounted in a socket I8 in the lower part of the member I4 is a movable nozzle member 20 yieldingly held in its projected position by a plurality of springs one of which is shown at 22. For preventing the nozzle member 20 from being displaced from the socket I8 there is provided a plurality of pins, such as that shown at 24, secured to the movable nozzle member 20, the saidpins being movable each within a. slot 26, which slot predetermines the range of movements of the nozzle member 20. Preferably and as shown, each nozzle member 20, 20a is provided with slots 2l to facilitate the entrance of air into the lnozzle to carry the liquid away from the blade 6.

Extending upwardly from the` back member l I6 of the tool, at the middle point of said back member, is a rectangular tube member 30 having a circular extension for connection to the flexible tube which as described above may also be connected to an air pump, said member 30' having pivoted therein at 32 a gravity-operated valve member 34 which is substantially wedgeshaped in cross section and which has ,a curved lower edge at 36 adapted to cover selectively one air passageway 38 or the other 40. It is shown covering the air passageway 38 for the reason that the upper end of the tool is tipped or inclined toward the observer which is the position the tool occupies while it is being shoved over the surface of the work in a direction away from the operator. If now the tool be tipped in such manner that the upper end is inclined away from the operator, the valve member 34 will swing to a position to cover the air passageway 4I). In that case the tool is positioned for movement toward the operator, in which case the watery material expressed from the work will be piled up in the mouth of the nozzle below the air passage 38. Hence this air passage should be open so that the air suction means will be effective to carry the watery material away from the work. In order that the valve member 34 may not be interfered with in its movements by the tendency to form a vacuum behind and above it, there is Vprovided a port shown in dotted lines at 42 in Fig. 3. While only one port 42 is shown, it may be found desirable to provide two or more such ports for the entrance of air into the space above and in back of the valve member 34.

While the tool shown in Fig. 3 may be made of any suitable material, the outside walls I4 together with the back member I6 are preferably made of wood since they are the parts which will be grasped by the hands of the operator during manipulation of the tool in putting-out operations upon the work pieces. To facilitate grasping by the hands of the operator to exert equal pressure on the tool on the opposite side of the member 30, the members I4 and I6 together constitute a bar having upwardly facing surfaces extending along lines parallel to the within the U-shaped wooden member by meansv of bolts 44 which pass through both the walls I4 and through a holder 46 for the blade 6, the said bolts 44 also passing through spacing blocks 48 located between the inner surface `of the walls I4 and the opposite surface of the holder mem- 75 ber I8. The movable nozzle members 20, 20a will also be made of aluminum.

In operating upon a hide or skin with the tool shown in Fig. 3, the upper part of th`e tool will ordinarily be tipped away from the operator, as already stated, so that. during movement of the blade 8 over `the work in a scraping operation under substantial pressure, liquid will collect at the mouth of the nozzle below the passageway 38 (Fig. 3).` With the tool in the position described, the gravity-operated valve memberd will be swung over to a position above the passageway 4B, thus freeing thepassageway 38 for connectionwith .the tube leading to the air Dump (not shown), and hence the liquid material will be drawn up away from the work continuously during movement of the blade over the work. During such movement of the tool, the movable nozzle member 20 will be in contact with the surface of the work being held down in operative position by the springs 22 so that the air suction means not only removes the liquid expressed from the work but tends also to remove other liquid on and near the surface of the work, with the result that more liquid is removed from the hide or skin than is commonly removed as a result of slicking operations with ,the simple blade or slicker heretofore employed. This is due in part to the fact that no liquid escapes around the ends of the slicker tool, such as commonly taires place during slicking operations with prior constructions. If now it is desired to perform a slicking operation on some portion of the hide or skin which the operator may readily reach by shoving the tool in a direction away from himself, the tool in such operations is tipped in such manner that the upper portion thereof is inclined toward the operator, it being possible thus to position the tool on the work by reasonof the fact that the nozzle member Zii will yield upwardly against the pressure of the light springs 22. During this movement of the tool, the other movable nozzle member 2da will maintain contact with the work and thus insure the most effective operation of the suction means in removing watery material expressed by the blade t while it is being moved, as described in a direction away from the operator.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tool comprises two parallel slicker blades 5E whose lower operative edges 52 are substantially in the same plane and are somewhat rounded, as shown, to perform slicking operations on hides or skins. These blades 5@ are spaced from each other by blocks 5d located at their ends and by other spacing blocks, one of which is shown at 56 in Fig. 2, thus providing a passageway 5l for air and liquids expressed from the worlr. In this construction the blades 5d constitute the walls of a nozzle member of an air suction device comprising a fiexible tube di? similar in all respects to the flexible tube heretofore described as connected 'to an air pump or other airisuction means. The tube 5B is connected to a tubular member t@ inserted into the upwardly facing wall 52 of a U-shaped wooden member 6d within which the assembled blades 5@ are secured by bolts 5d, said member 6d serving as a handle for manipulation of the tool, and being constructed in a manner similar to the handle member iii, it of Fig. 3. Upon inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the upper edges of the two blades Bil are spaced from the wooden wall above by spacing blocks 68 thus making an air channel 'l0 extending lengthwise of the tool, the said channel 10 being enlarged by upwardly sloping walls 'I2 which direct the air to am exit opening 14, at the middle of vthe member 64, intowhich is tted the tubular member 60.

While performing putting-out operations with the tool shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it will be understood that either ofthe blades 50 maybe made to contact a piece of work and that the other blade' will be spaced from the work more or less in accordance with the degree of inclination of the tool with respect tothe work. Since the liquid expressed from the hide or skin collects against the surface of the blade in pressure contact with the hide or skin it is clear that this liquid is located at the entrance to the nozzle and that it is, therefore, in a position to be sucked up through the nozzle and discharged through the flexible pipe or tube by the airisuction means. Since both of the blades 50 are identical in construction it is clear that either blade may be used in movements of the tool toward or away from the operator in putting-out operations on a given piece oi work.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. l and 5 of the drawingswherein the sliclrer tool is shown to comprise a blade 80 and two suction nozzles one upon each surface of the blade 90, each nozzle comprising a nozzle member 82 spaced from the blade d@ which forms the other wall of each nozzle. As shown, the lower edge of the blade t@ is slightly rounded at its edges to provide a slicker tool which will not cut into the surface of the work piece undergoing treatment. Furthermore, the lower portion of each nozzle member 32 is bent inwardly at an angle of about 30 to the vertical, as indicated in Fig. 5, this inclined portion of the nozzle member d2 being provided with a multiplicity of slots 84, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. It will be found upon test that the tool is so inclined to the surface of the work piece during slicking operations thereon that the inclined slot-carrying portion of the wall B2 will contact the work, thus closing the slots in said work contacting portion while the corresponding slots on the front of the blade, against which the Water is piling up, are open, thus rendering the suction means on that'side of the blade operative to remove the liquid substantially at the same rate that it is expressed from the hide or skin. Positioned on opposite sides of the upper end of the blade t@ are spacing blocks 8b (Fig. 4) through which pass bolts titl which also pass through the Walls il? and through the blade Sil to secure all of these parts iirmly in the desired relation to each other. Upon inspection of Fig. 4, it will be observed that a member Qd, which is also a handle member by which the slicker is grasped by the hands of the operator, is hollowed out to form a chamber 92 which constitutes an extension of the air passageways of the nozzles. Conveniently the member 9@ and the walls 82 are formed as a single li-shaped light metal member, the blade t@ being secured to the walls t2 in such manner that its operative edge is parallel to the upper edge of the handle member gli. Also. as indicated in Fig. 4, a tubular extension Si of the member @il is drilled to provide a bore 96 which communicates with chamber Q2 of the handle 90, the extension Sill being adapted to receive slidably thereon the end of a tube 98 which leads to a suction apparatus such as an air pump not shown). It will be understood that the opening at each end of the tool is closed by a spacing block iw which fits in between the ends of the nozzle members 82.

material expressed from the work piece'and which collects in advance of the blade during movement of the latter over thesurface of the work. While the slotted portion of the nozzle wall oni the advancing side of the blade is inclined away from the surface of the work, it is still effective because of the fact that" the liquid tends to-collect upony that surface of the blade facing in the direction of movement of the tool and because of the fact thatthe suction is such as to draw the watery material up through the said slots whereby the said watery material is disposed of substantially` simultaneously with its expression from the hide or skin undergoing treatment.

Having described my inventionfwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a 'tool for slicking out hides and skins, a blade having a slightly rounded edge portion operative to spread out in extended condition a hide or skin and concomitantly to express watery material therefrom, such watery material tending to pile up on the advance surface of said blade, a handle member to hold said blade, said handle member having its upwardly facing surface parallel to the operative edge of the blade to facilitate the application of equal pressure on the tool by both hands of the operator, said handie member having also an opening therethrough substantially at the longitudinal center of its upwardly facing surface for connection to a pneumatic suction means, the upwardly facing surface of the handle member being otherwise unobstructed so that the hands of the operator may readily grasp the handle'member effectively to operate the tool, and pneumatic suction means having a nozzle portion associated with said blade to remove said watery material from the surface of the hide or skin and from said blade, the nozzle portion being made up substantially of two parallel walls one of which is provided by said blade, and the lower edge of the other wall having some or all portions thereof spaced a relatively small distance from the surface of the hide or skin at all times during slicking-out operations of the tool.

2. In a tool for operating upon hides and skins, a single slicker blade operative to spread a hide or skin out in extended condition and to express waiery material therefrom, pneumatic means associated therewith and having a nozzle at each side of said blade so that'watery material may be removed when the latter collects on either surface of said blade near the operative edge thereof, and means, dependent upon the inclination of said tool to the surface undergoing treatment, for controlling the suction means so that only one nozzle at a time is connected to the suction means during the operation of the tool on the work.

3. In a tool for operating upon hides and skins, a single slicker blade, pneumatic means associated therewith and having a nozzle upon each surface of said blade so that watery material may be removed when the latter collects on either surface of said blade near the operative edge thereof, and a gravity-operated valve device associated with the suction means to close oil.' one nozzle and to connect the other to the suction means while the blade is operating on the surface of the hide or skin at the desired inclinations thereto. e

4. In a tool forV slicking out hides and skins, a blade having a slightly rounded edge portion operative to spread out in extended condition a hide or skin and concomitantly to express watery material therefrom, such watery Imaterial tending to pile up on the advance surface of the blade, pneumatic suction means having a nozzle member associated with said blade to remove said watery material from the blade and from the surface of the hide or skin, the nozzle member being made up substantially of two substantially parallel walls one of which is provided by said blade, and the other wall of thevnozzle member having a movable part provided with slots to admit air to said nozzle member, and spring means acting on said movable part to project the latter downwardly into contactwith the hide or skin while the inclination of the tool to the work is changed during treatment of the latter.

5. In a tool for slicking out hides and skins,

a blade having an edge portion operative to y spread out in extended condition a hide or skin and concomitantly to express watery material therefrom, pneumatic suction means having a nozzle member located on a surface of the blade in position to remove watery material expressed from the surface of the hide or skin by said blade, said nozzle member having a movable wall with a slotted edge portion to admit air to said nozzle member, substantially parallel with said blade, and means to maintain said movable wall yieldingly in contact with the surface of the hide or skin. being treated.

6'. In a tool for slicking out hides and skins, a single blade operative to spread a hide or skin out in extended condition and to express watery material therefrom, pneumatic means associated therewith and having a nozzle atr each side of said blade so that watery material may be removed When the latter collects on either surface of said blade near the operative edge thereof, each nozzle having a spring-pressed outside wall projectable and retractable to maintain the, full suction effect of the suction means during changes in the ,inclination of the tool with respect to the surface of the work, and means for controlling the suction means so that only one nozzle at a time is'connected v,to the suction means during operation of the tool in its inclined relation to the work.

7. A slicker tool for performing putting-out operations upon hides and skins comprising two.. parallel blades selectively operable to spread out a blade having an edge operative to contact and treat a surface of a'hide or skin, and pneu-A matic suction means having a nozzle at each side of said blade, each nozzle having an outside wall contacting said blade along a line adjacent to the said operative edge of the blade, the lower portion of said outside'wall being inclined at an angle of about 30 to the adjacent surface of the blade, and theinclined portion of the outer wall being provided with a plurality 0I closely spaced slots leading down to the blade for the entrance of air and liquid material into said noz- 5 zles. Y

J H. CONNOR. 

